Brimming with history, a visit to Americus offers an idyllic place for educational, family travel
AMERICUS, GEORGIA—SEPTEMBER 2020—Americus is a west-central Georgia hot spot filled with history, unique shopping and homegrown treasures. Most people aren’t aware of the presidential ties and historical landmarks that dot the map throughout the county. For those en route to Florida, this is the perfect stopover; for others, a worthy destination to spend a long weekend. Either way, a welcome surprise awaits about three hours south of Atlanta and only two hours north of I-10.
Americus is a place where Southern hospitality runs deep and ideas birthed long ago still are celebrated. Families find solace here with outdoor adventures and countless educational opportunities, many of which replicate classic testaments to both the past and future. A great example is Andersonville, Georgia, where a National Historic Site marks wartime remembrances and surrounding communities resonate with present-day visitors. If you need suggestions as to where your family-friendly, historical journey should begin, here are a few to get you started.
Andersonville National Historic Site
Andersonville National Historic Site began about a year and a half prior to the end of the U.S. Civil War as a stockade to hold Union Army prisoners that were captured by Confederate soldiers. Camp Sumter was 26 and a half acres, behind Confederate lines and meant to contain no more than 10,000 prisoners. Conditions were horrid, especially when occupant numbers climbed to over 32,000 wounded and hungry men, with little protection from the blazing Georgia sun, cold winter rains, diseases, contaminated water and such. The cemetery just outside prison walls is filled with the more than 12,000 folks who died in the prison.
Andersonville National Cemetery was established in July of 1865 and served Camp Sumter. In the first three years of existence, the cemetery held the remains of some 13,800 Union soldiers retrieved from hospitals, battles and prison camps throughout the region. Today, the Andersonville National Cemetery averages about 150 burials per year, and, along with the associated prison site, has become a unit of the National Park System as of 1970.
Currently, the Andersonville National Historic Site is comprised of three distinct elements: Camp Sumter military prison, the Andersonville National Cemetery and the National Prisoner of War Museum, opened in 1998 to honor U.S. prisoners of all wars. It is important to allow plenty of time to explore all three.
Get the kids in your group involved through the Junior Ranger Program’s activity book available at the National Prisoner of War Museum. This free, adventure-style book guides kids 8+ (parents and younger children can tag along, too) through the lives and choices of wartime prisoners held at Andersonville. Visitors will explore the museum, Camp Sumter and the cemetery as part of the activity. When finished, Junior Rangers can earn an official Andersonville Junior Ranger badge and “Key to Freedom” patch.
Andersonville Village
Andersonville Village is the result of an early 1970s movement to promote local tourism by creating an atmosphere that resembled the town during the American Civil War. Don’t miss Gerald Lamby’s Drummer Boy Civil War Museum where you’ll find mannequins sporting different Civil War uniforms (both Union and Confederate) including rare drummer boy uniforms complete with drums. Also, see 1850s and ‘60s revolvers, carbines, muskets and swords as well as rare flags that bring in visitors from all over.
Historic buildings within the village include Village Hall and the Saint James Pennington Log Church. Take some time to visit both. Accommodations available in Andersonville are limited with the RV Park (23 sites) being the only one. Americus, a town only 15 minutes away, offers a bed and breakfast and a handful of hotels.
All aboard
Board the vintage 1949 cars of the air conditioned SAM Shortline Excursion Train. Check the schedules for weekend rides to explore rural landscapes and the historic towns of Americus, Plains, Leslie and Archery. While in Plains, browse President Carter’s campaign museum and an antique mall, then buy a bag of peanuts from local merchants. Visit the Plain Peanuts to try their peanut butter ice cream. A bit further down the tracks in the community of Archery, explore President Jimmy Carter’s boyhood farm. The train will stop just steps from his old front porch, and you’ll have plenty of time to explore this National Historic Site before the SAM Shortline returns to the depot. Hidden surprises await. At the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum, the worlds-largest collection of antique rotary telephones and memorabilia will shock the under-20 crowd speechless.
Fun facts about Americus
Americus, the county seat of Sumter County, is home to its own unique historical finds: Historic Windsor Hotel and Rylander Theatre—both stunning examples of amazing architecture of yesteryear.
Americus is Georgia’s only county with two national historic sites and one of only three counties in the country with two national historic sites: Andersonville National Historic Site and Jimmy Carter National Historic Site.
Named for the 39th President of the United States, the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site houses the Plains Depot (restored to the 1976 appearance when it served as Carter’s campaign headquarters), Carter Boyhood Farm and Home, Plains High School (currently a museum and visitor’s center) and the actual Carter Home which is not open to the public.
Americus offers a lovely driving tour of 47 historic homes ranging from Victorian to Antebellum and more.
Some 40 years after leaving office, Jimmy Carter still teaches Sunday School on occasion at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, another small Americus gem.
For more information on Americus delights, check out VisitAmericusGA.com.